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The Choir Academy is located on the island of Manhattan in New York City. It has been named one of the best music schools in the state of New York. Not only does the academy focus on music but it strives to show its students how important learning is to grow as individual.

Community

The Choir Academy of NYC is located in Manhattan, NYC. It is considered a borough of Manhattan Community College. The rapport and respect that they have with the community, their peers, their teachers, and their families is overwhelming. This small music school has an enrollment of approximately 75 students in grades 8, 11, 12, and special education classes providing them with the opportunity of learning in a small classroom setting. It is comprised not only of the educational component as seen in other schools, the community is also made of the Boys’ Choir of Harlem, Inc., Girls’ Choir of Harlem, Inc., New York University, City College of New York, and the Metro Center for Urban Education. Both the boy’s and girl’s choirs are known all over the world and are well-respected within the music industry.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Choir Academy of Harlem is to embrace every student’s unique capabilities and qualities while challenging them in a rewarding educational setting. They believe that each and every student will learn and achieve their goals regardless of outside influences that may attempt to hinder their positive learning process. The academy prides itself on providing all students an academic experience that will prepare them for the real world making them productive members of society. They strive to maximize all artistic and musical talents of their students in the following areas: dance, choral music, and instrumental music. As stated on their website, “we understand that in order to reach this goal, we must embrace the school program and school community keeping the pillars of rigor, respect, rights and responsibility as the most important principles upon which the school legacy was built.”

Choir Academy’s Vision

The Choir Academy of NYC prides itself on creating and maintaining a school culture that caters to the artistic and learning needs of every student. They provide a well-rounded academic experience while preparing each student for the arts, music, and college. Their curriculum is data-driven and research-based that enhance exceptional social-emotional decision making and critical thinking skills while keeping their students’ best interests as their top priority.

Special Programs

In addition to providing an enriched educational environment and focusing on the arts, the Choir Academy also fosters several different programs to further enrich their students’ lives. The following is a list of additional programs the academy’s students can enjoy:
Saturday Academy for Science and Mathematics
Gear Up College Preparatory Program
College Now Program
Hartwick College Summer Music Institute
Skidmore College Summer Music Institute
Tanglewood Boston College Program
All of these programs are available to all students who attend the academy

Extracurricular Activities

Students who attend the Choir Academy have the opportunity to join several athletic extracurricular activity groups. Such activities include the track team, cheerleading team, basketball team, girls’ soccer team, and the forensics team. Additionally, students will be give the opportunity to travel throughout the United States as well as parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa with the Boys’ Choir of Harlem.

You love to sing. You’ve got this exceptional talent. You have a passion for singing. You want to make this your career. Sounds easy, right? It’s far from easy. You can’t step foot onto any stage, sing a song, and get offered a recording contract immediately. While being a professional singer brings with it great rewards, the opportunities are rare.

Very few singers can make it in the music industry regardless of how talented they are or who they know. Those who do sing professionally barely make enough to support themselves let alone a family. While singing may seem easy if you have natural talent, it still takes a lot of work and you end of sacrificing a lot just to make enough money to eat for the week.

Should I consider a backup?

If you are determined to become a professional singer, stop and think about other things you are good at or enjoy. Unless you have been scouted as the next Mariah Carey, it is important to look at other career areas as your primary source of income and singing as your secondary income. You will find that you will lose your passion for music due to constant rejection, struggling for acceptance, and financial distress. By choosing another career that you find yourself drawn to you can provide for yourself and your family as well as still pursue your passion for music.

Questions to ask yourself

Before jumping into a singing career with both feet there are several questions you should ask yourself. This will give you a better idea of what you will face as a professional singer and may bring light to your true passion for singing.

Are you willing to make sacrifices to make your singing career a reality? If you are one of the lucky few that become successful you will live a life of moving around and being on the road most of your life. You will most likely be living out of a suitcase for a majority of your career. Your personal relationships could suffer. Your social life will be non-existent. You will be spending a large sum of money on training, auditions, equipment, and travel.

Are you able to stay healthy? Being a professional singer you must keep your voice working like a well-oiled machine. Your voice is susceptible to so many changes that could destroy it including age, the environment, and your health. Singing while you’re sick is only going to cause more damage to your voice which could lead to a premature demise to your singing career.

How well do you handle rejection? In the music industry you will be faced with non-stop rejection. What may be perfect to you and your following of fans may not be the right fit for what record labels or Broadway productions are looking for. For every demo you send out you must prepare yourself for that possibility of being rejected without being listened to. There’s a lot of fierce competition in the music industry. If you find yourself crying during a Hallmark commercial, then chances are you won’t be able to handle rejection too well before becoming an emotional train wreck.

Before embarking on the glamorous world of professional singing, think long and hard about the decisions you will be making. It’s a difficult career to pursue and the music industry is flooded with hopeful professionals. The amount of rejection is overwhelming and the time commitment just to get noticed is even more overwhelming.

Music is one of the few universal languages you will hear regardless of where you are. It is an art form that uses different collaborations of sound as an expressive medium. It has been said that the earliest form of musical expression derived from our ancestors came from nature sounds such as interactions between animals and of birds singing. Because of this, having a career in music can be very rewarding on many different levels.

There are many different types of music careers. Some of the most common music careers can also be the most difficult to pursue. It is important to familiarize yourself with all options in the field of music to find out which best suits your interests.

Singer/Musician

Singers are most often referred to as a vocalist. They use their voices as the sole instrument. There are many different types of singers: Broadway, opera, classical, jazz, pop, country, rock, and rhythm and blues just to name a few. Musicians on the other hand create music using an instrument. Some of the morecommon areas of study when pursuing a career as a musician include guitarist, pianist, drummer, and cellist to name a few. There are several sites that can give you more valuable music related career information such as www.jobapplicationguide.com. Another resource is the United States Governement.

Pursuing a career as a singer you will need to be confident, independent, and willing to seek out any and all opportunities when you are just starting out. The best way to get noticed as a professional singer or musician is to join a band that plays at regular venues and keep your eye out for amateur musician casting calls and open mic nights. You don’t need formal education to become a professional singer or musician although taking courses in specific musical genres and music composition can enhance your career and knowledge of the music industry.

Composer/Songwriter

Composers and songwriters both write songs and create music. They are the ones that provide the lyrics, melody, harmony, and downbeats to the singer and/or the musician. They write the vocal parts and instrumental parts to the songs we hear on the radio. They are the masterminds behind the sung word.

Pursuing a career in this field requires formal schooling. You must attend a 4 year college or a college that specializes in music as a major. You will need to take courses relates to the business aspects of the music industry, specific courses in different musical genres, music composition, courses in how to play certain instruments, and reading music. You can become a freelance composer or you can seek out opportunities through music industry professionals to get your talent noticed.

Music Teacher/Conductor

A music teacher teaches the fundamentals of music as well as leads, or conducts, a band, orchestra, or choir. They teach proper technique on how to play an instrument or sing. They teach the fundamentals of music including how to identify a note on the staff and how to read music.

A conductor leads a group of singers or musicians in the form of choirs, orchestras, or bands. They choose the style of music their groups will play or sing and they organize events to showcase the talent of those groups.

Music Therapist

Music therapy has become an increasingly popular career. With all the new advances in mental health it has been proven to be a “saving grace” for individuals with autism, severe depression, anxiety problems, and ADHD. To become a music therapist you will need formal education and in most states you will need to become licensed. Music therapists treat many problems such as social, psychological, cognitive, and physical through musical healing.